Martin Luther King, Jr., who died 45 years ago this week, had long known that racial equality was inextricably linked to economic equity – fairness for all, including working people and the poor. In this conversation with author and theologian James Cone and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Taylor Branch, Bill explores the historic fight for racial justice as a “gateway” to opportunities for broader civil rights and economic equality. They also discuss King’s controversial multiracial approach to justice.
“[King] had this incredible conclave of people who didn’t know each other,” Branch tells Bill. “And he said, if we can’t agree together that there’s poverty and a common approach that’s bigger than race, then we should stop now.”
Cone and Branch join Bill on this weekend’s Moyers & Company.